Holmdel Police Charge Six In Campaign Sign Thefts

Former Democratic candidates for Holmdel Township Committee, Janet Berk and Karen Strickland, are praising the Holmdel Police Department for excellent detective work in the charging of persons who stole their campaign signs during the November 2014 election, according to a letter sent to Patch.

During the campaign, the candidates filed a complaint with the police after their signs were stolen from private and public locations.

In a jointly-written letter to Patch sent in November titled “Dirty Politics in Holmdel”, Janet Berk said: “In every campaign there is a certain amount of mischief with signs. A few signs disappear or are vandalized or are pulled out and left on the spot, but this year the rate of theft has increased.”

Karen Strickland added, “In the 15 years I have been involved in campaigns in Holmdel, I have never seen this many signs simply disappear. Losing signs is troubling both because signs are expensive and it disadvantages one side’s ability to advertise their campaign.”

In some cases the Berk/Strickland sign had been removed and replaced with their opponent’s sign in the same spot, the duo stated.

Detective Kret of the Holmdel Police Department has reported that six men have been charged with criminal mischief and theft of 75 campaign signs.

On learning of the charges Janet Berk said, “It was terribly frustrating and disheartening to pay for and put up signs only to see them disappear. Our faith in justice has been restored.”

Karen Strickland added, “We felt violated when our signs were stolen and it’s reassuring that the police were able to catch the perpetrators. We are very thankful that the police took our concerns seriously and were successful.”

Related stories on Patch:

• Holmdel Election Causing Tension in Town: Campaign Files Police Complaint Over Missing Signs

• Letter to the Editor: More Holmdel Issues to be Addressed Before Election